I know, it’s a pity this couldn’t be a little older. Those stupid big bumpers and oversized rear lights are kind of disgraceful. As is the interior, frankly. But despite all those outrages, catching one of the timeless Type 14s is still cause for celebration, particularly in stock form and in a nice colour. They tried, but the design was not ruined. Well done, Ghia. And you as well, Karmann.
Curbside Classic: 1978 Toyota Cressida — That Euro-Brougham Kind Of Thing
I don’t quite remember the first time I ever saw a Toyota Cressida, but I do remember noticing it. Not a common feat for a Toyota with me. When it came to Corollas, Coronas, Mark IIs and Crowns, they were just part of the traffic. None were too outstanding to call my attention in any way, for better or worse. Other than the Celica, it was hard to think of any vehicle in the brand’s lineup that my eyes gravitated to.
Yet, when the Cressida appeared, it was a car that I noticed. Not that I was blown away, as my kiddie mind craved nothing but sporty cars. But I did admit the car had a certain presence, and it was clear it had a different mission than the rest of the company’s lineup.
Vintage C&D Review: Opel GT 1.9 – The First Lutz-Mobile
(first posted 3/24/2018) Bob Lutz is associated with a lot of cars; some good, some so-so (or worse). There is a recurring thread in the latter category — aggressive styling but with compromises in the packaging or underpinnings. The Opel GT laid down that formula for the first time and went all the way to the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, the latter being sold in Europe as the Opel GT.
To be fair, Bob Lutz isn’t solely or even primarily responsible for the Opel GT, as he was a mere marketing executive. But he became its most enthusiastic promoter, pushing hard to put into production the concept Opel GT shown back in 1965 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. But in order to make it work cost-wise, the GT had to share the platform of the quite-lowly Opel Kadett, a car designed to be as cheap to build as possible in order to compete against the VW Beetle. So it should come as no surprise that the production Opel GT looked quite a bit better than it really was, hardly a unique and unusual reality at GM. The one consolation: most of its veteran sports car competitors in 1969 weren’t any better technically. But that house of cards would quickly collapse in 1970, when Datsun unleashed its similarly-priced 240Z.
Curbside Classic: 1965 VW Deluxe Micro Bus “Samba” – A Truly Revolutionary Vehicle
(first posted 6/26/2012) How many vehicles have effected radical and lasting change? Not just in the automotive sphere, but also the realms of society, politics, popular culture, comedy, philosophy; even our very physiology? The VW Bus is such an agent of change, perhaps the most potent one since WW2. It’s a truly revolutionary vehicle that redefined that concept, most of all the relationship of inner space to outer. A 169 inch-long hybrid of egg, box and windows with an ability to comfortably and economically transport eight adults; an impressive feat by any measure, yet just the start of its many capabilities. Perhaps it should have been called the VW Transformer.
And the Samba version of the VW Bus is the most transformative of the family. So if seven of you want to hop aboard, I’ll open that giant sunroof, take you for a ride and tell you how that came to be. It’s going to be leisurely and a bit noisy, as any ride in an old VW bus inevitably is. Will you be transformed? Well, if not, at least the views will be good. Read the rest of this entry »
Vintage Snapshots: Will You Marry Me? — A Gallery Of Wedding Cars
“Will you marry me?” aren’t words lightly thrown. And if the answer is “Yes”, it’s the beginning of a new life to be properly celebrated. Along with the many rituals during that life-defining event, the wedding car often plays a key role. With that in mind, here’s a gallery celebrating that tradition with various folk and their vehicles in wedding regalia.
Curbside Classic: 1987 BMW 325i (E30) Cabriolet – Bubble Economy Car
For our second entry in this week’s celebration of German open-air motoring, we will examine a true ‘80s icon. Launched in late 1982, the E30 was a seminal baby Bimmer, a worthy successor to the ’02s and the E21. It also heralded the return of the full-fledged drop-top within the BMW family, after a decade-and-a-half-long hiatus. A shrewd move – and very well-timed, too.
Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1965 Buick LeSabre 400 – Small Block Big Body Buick
It seems a bit odd for Buick to use the little 300 cubic inch V8 (derived from the aluminum 215 V8) in their very-much full-size LeSabre when the cheaper Pontiac Catalina came standard with a husky 389 V8 and even the wimpy Olds Jetstar 88 had a 330 V8. That’s only 17 cubic inches more than a 283 Chevy Impala, where a 327 was just a few bucks more. Presumably Buick knew that its target buyers weren’t so much looking at performance as other traditional Buick qualities. And with the base 210hp 300 V8 and the two-speed ST-300 automatic, that was the reality, performance-wise.
But for those looking for a bit of a sharper edge on their ‘Sabre , there was the “400” option package, which included a 250 hp four-barrel version of the 300 V8 teamed with the excellent ST-400 (Turbo Hydramatic). It’s not exactly common for a transmission to give its name to a car trim level, but in this case it rather deserved it.
COAL Cycle Of A Lifetime: Two Honda Twins and a Knucklehead
Motorcycles had always been important to me, and I used them as basic transportation. I rode them to work, on various errands, as well as pleasure riding. My Father had always decried motorcycles as primarily being toys. To him, a car always made more sense. I was determined to prove him wrong. So I rode almost all the time. Of course, if it was raining really hard, I’d borrow one of his extra cars. I would have both a car and motorcycle for most of my life. I was dedicated, but not a fanatic! But, maybe I was!
CC Capsule: 1983-87 Mazda 626 Coupe – The Mystery Of The Innocuous Coupe
(first posted 3/27/2018) The conservative coupe and the two-door sedan seem to be peculiarly American phenomena. To an Australian, the idea of sacrificing two doors for a negligible amount of extra style (if any) is a foreign and puzzling concept. What’s the point of a coupe that looks so much like a sedan? Read the rest of this entry »
Curbside Classic: 1968 Chrysler Newport – My Fountain Of Youth
(first posted 3/26/2018) Most of us have fond memories of the cars of our youth. Didn’t you just love the stuff that was in showrooms before you reached, say, the age of ten? I know I did. For many of us those cars were the ones we started driving when we got our driver’s licenses because they were usually the cheap, older cars we could afford. But how many of us get to go back and make one a daily driver in adulthood? Well I did. And I loved it.
Vintage Snapshots: Canadian Neighborhoods, In The 50s & 60s
Today’s gallery features images from the City of Toronto archives, and most show 1950s and 1960s surroundings with some traffic of the period. Like many photos from the early postwar era, they feature new suburban enclaves and lightly populated roads.
Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day: 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo — The Classics, Now And Then
Photo from the Cohort by J.C.
There’s little I can add to the Monte Carlo lore on this post (for now). However, the vintage image posts I’ve been publishing got me thinking about the many lives and looks these vintage rides have had through the years. For example, on a post I made with vintage shots of Chevrolets from the 1960s and 1970s, there wasn’t a single one sporting Chevy Rally Wheels. A rare and unusual feat, as I was told.
Vintage Review: CAR Rates The Worst Cars of 1985 – Lada Riva, Reliant Rialto, Citroen 2CV and Skoda Estelle
Many many magazines have been sold by the presence of a Ferrari, Aston Martin, Corvette or Rolls-Royce on the cover, accompanied by “Exclusive First Test” type headlines. But, inevitably, many of us are not buying those cars but are instead buying significantly cheaper cars. How about a comparison test of some of those, and specifically those frequently cited as the “worst car on sale today”? Cue a cover featuring a Skoda Estelle and Reliant Rialto, and four way test them with the Lada Riva and Citroen 2CV. Read the rest of this entry »
In-Motion Classic: 1984 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Out Of The Mist
The model names of Oldsmobile’s muscle cars had always confused me just a little bit. The naming of similar models from other makes didn’t seem all that cerebral. I could make sense out of what an SS396 or SS454 package would add to a Chevrolet Chevelle, “GTO” sounded perfectly organic for a high-performance Pontiac, Plymouth’s “Road Runner” was named after a really fast cartoon bird from Warner Brothers, and “Cobra” was what Ford tacked onto anything and everything performance-related. However, the midsize muscle from Oldsmobile always seemed to leave me scratching my head. I called it a “Four Forty-Two” for years before learning what the 4-4-2 nomenclature had originally stood for when that model was introduced for ’64. That was similar to how I had referred to it as “Pokey-man” before I understood more about what Pokemon actually was.
Carshow Classic: 1975 Austin Allegro – Another BLMC Deadly Sin
(first posted 12/29/2013) The Morris 1100 of 1962 was one of the most innovative and significant cars of its type and of its generation, but its replacement, the 1973 Austin Allegro, showed BLMC at its worst. With the Allegro, BL had a unique opportunity – to replace the UK’s best selling car with a better one. The business funding it was financially stronger than it been for many years; there were some modern engines available; the presence of other BLMC products meant it did not have to appeal to the conservative part of the market, and BMC’s record of technical innovation was still valid. Yet with the Allegro, BL managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Read the rest of this entry »